Petra grew up in Germany, and earned her Bachelors of Social Work there. A quick trip to Canada changed all that in 1989. But you can tell her heart stems from a German flower. Ask her what she would choose to see if she could have witnesses something personally in history and she’ll tell you “the Fall of the Berlin Wall”. Speaking of walls, the most adventurous thing she has ever done on her travels includes climbing the Great Wall of China with her 83 year old dad who promptly passed out! She then took him down on the toboggan slide, making for a slightly terrifying anecdote. In her previous life, she led convoys of 4-6 motorhomes carrying German tourists, all throughout Canada and United States.

If you ask her which destination is her favorite of them all, she’ll answer “the destination I’ve not travelled to yet”. However, we can tell you that Petra has a soft spot for Egypt. She’s been 6 times! So what’s next on her list? Israel - which probably has a lot to do with her spiritual nature. She’ll tell you her favorite book is the Bible, and if fact, it’s one of the three items she’d bring if she were stranded on a deserted island, along with her pillow and her phone (assuming there’s a connection).

As far as diving goes, Petra has been to places we can only dream of. Her two most exciting dives are a tie between gazing up from the depths at over a dozen majestic flying Mantas overhead in Indonesia, off the island of Sangalaki (East-Kalimantan) or the seeing the tankers, motorcycles, and locomotive of the Thistlegorm wreck in the Red Sea and experiencing the history it offers. For the record, we think she’s pretty cool because she has personally met Jean-Michel Cousteau (and stayed at his resort in Fiji!). Her favorite foreign food is technically Sushi, (don’t tell the divers!) but we will forgive her for this. But if you really want to know the sure fire way to Petra’s heart, I’ll tell you a little secret…bring after-dinner snacks to enjoy with coffee.

If you are ever lucky enough to see Petra away from her desk (HA! good luck!), you’ll likely see her running, kayaking or manning the booth at the many dive shows we exhibit at. She also enjoys singing while cleaning, hiking, camping and playing her young nieces & nephews. Ask her what her favorite thing is about working in the travel industry, and she’ll say “It’s always changing and evolving. Exploring the world is such an interesting subject to work with every day. It’s exciting, positive and people are in a good mood when you are planning their trips”.

Lastly, do you have any usual talents Petra? “I can whistle about 10 times louder than a jet engine taking off taking off beside you a foot away”. It’s true – she can, and frankly, it’s a little scary how loud it is. A word to the wise, don't get hiccups around this woman. You know how getting scared is supposed to get rid of hiccups? Yeah...